Joe Frazier, the heavyweight champion of boxing won the title in this very day of February 16, 1970. Born on January 12, 1944 in South Carolina, childhood had Frazier used to hang a self-made punching bag on an oak tree which he had been punching at a stretch for hours.

In 1971, he faced Muhammad Ali in Madison Square for the historic battle known as “The Fight of the Century”. He defeated the unbeatable Ali in that match and won the title. However, in 1973, he got defeated when he fought again for the title against George Foreman.

Unfortunately, when he had to fight back with Ali in 1974, he lost from that 12 round decision. Nevertheless, the two had met again in the Philippines for the third time. Sadly, Frazier lost in that “Thrilla in Manila” battle of 1975. He then prompted several unsuccessful attempts to be back. Unluckily, those too went all in vain.

Nonetheless, it had all been worth his blood and sweat shed in the fights when he got finally been inducted in the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. At the age of 67, he finally died due to liver cancer on November 7, 2011.